Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

My First Stay at a Tru by Hilton Hotel — and The Verdict Is…

Driving east from Las Vegas back to the greater Atlanta metropolitan area meant that I would be passing by a Tru by Hilton hotel property; and as I had never stayed at one, I thought I would try it out — especially as I was to earn 1,000 bonus Hilton Honors points during this promotion, which has since expired.

My First Stay at a Tru by Hilton Hotel — and The Verdict Is…

This is probably the most extensive and detailed review of a Tru by Hilton hotel property — which includes at least 70 photographs — so please be advised that this review is lengthy.

Tru by Hilton is hotel brand number 13 for the multinational lodging corporation, which was first announced in January of 2016. It is a mid-scale concept brand whose first hotel property is the Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport — which is not only where I decided to stay; but it was also the grand opening of hotel property number 5,000 for Hilton on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 8:30 in the morning.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I pulled up to the hotel property after a long day of driving on Interstate 40 from Albuquerque.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The branding of this hotel property was difficult to miss.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

After parking the car in the parking lot — which had plenty of open spaces despite part of it being blocked off due to a Marriott hotel property being constructed adjacent to this hotel — I was greeted by these doors which were filled with statements such as “Today is going to be Tru-ly awesome” and “Get in here.” I thought this was a little much.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

After walking through the front doors — which opened for me automatically — I turned around and realized just how difficult was reading what was applied onto them.

The Lobby

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I turned back around; and the front desk was the first thing I saw, with two friendly members of the staff — who were wearing bright blue Tru polo shirts — cheerfully greeting me.

I later found out that the two grey screens on the left in the background behind the front desk were hiding the breakfast area, which would be open the next morning.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The unconventional front desk — which guests can walk completely around — is equipped with a “social media wall with real-time content to foster engagement among guests” above it; and a market open 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Snacks and cold refreshments, healthy light meal options and sundries are offered for purchase; and a microwave oven is hidden away for use by guests. Single-serve wine and beer is also available — subject to state and local laws where you must be of legal drinking age.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The front desk is one area which comprises the Command Center, which is centrally located. It is part of the first floor area which was originally to be known as The Hive, but that thankfully seems to have been abandoned; and it is an experience which is more than a mere lobby with 2,770 square feet of open space — containing unique ways for guests to engage with others or spend time alone — in one of four distinct zones for lounging, working, eating or playing.

Suggestions are available on a printed sheet of paper as to what games to play…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…in an area known as The Play Zone, which is part of the lobby area and is filled with table games.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Games and toys are stored in drawers for use by any guests.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The pool table is the centerpiece of The Play Zone. The aforementioned drawers filled with games and toys are off to the left.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

One wall of the lobby area is customized specifically for this hotel property.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The Play Zone also features two large flat-screen televisions featuring satellite television programming — as well as tiered seating inspired by stadiums. Magazines and newspapers are also available.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Under the large television monitors are areas where you can charge the battery on your cellular telephone or other comparable portable electronic device. Special parking spaces are available outside for members of the Hilton Honors frequent guest loyalty program who have earned Diamond elite level status.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Two guests are seated at a counter which can double as both a work space as well as a place to eat or drink…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…and it separates The Play Zone from was to be known as The Command Center, which includes the front desk.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Work space is available in the form of counter spaces near or at windows around the lobby area — as well as moveable desks. Tablets are available on which to work. Plenty of electrical outlets with USB ports abound throughout the first floor area.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

If you want relative privacy and quiet in the lobby area, booths are available — and they absorb sound. I sat in one for a few minutes; and I did experience a realm of semi-privacy — but I do wonder if the experience would be similar if the lobby was crowded and noisy.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Each privacy booth not only has a moveable desk; but also seating shaped like barrels on which a companion can sit across from you. The cushioned bench in each privacy booth has a pillow; and two people can sit on a bench simultaneously.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

This view of the ground floor is located just to the right of the front entrance after walking through the doors; and it is rather spacious…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…and everything you need for coffee is available on a moveable cart — including hot water, cups, stirrers, and condiments and syrups to flavor your coffee.

Fitness Center

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The entrance to the fitness center is around the corner from the aforementioned wall with the two large televisions, magazines and newspapers, and the charging stations for portable electronic devices.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Before entering the fitness center is a purified water machine with which you can fill up your bottle or other container — and if you do not have a container, plenty of cups are available. An ice machine with plenty of ice buckets is also available. A towel station is just inside the fitness center stocked with plenty of towels — as well as a place to drop used towels.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The fitness center has different types of equipment…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…and even has its own television on the wall.

Public Washroom

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Although the entrances to the unisex public washrooms look rather plain on the outside..

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…the inside is a — shall I say — little less plain. The design of the mirror is enough to cause one’s head to spin…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…but the design of the wall of the public washroom beats the mirror in that regard. Those metal bars are probably there to keep a person with vertigo from dizzily spinning after seeing that wall rather than for use by disabled people.

Good thing a toilet is readily available with the lid up if you get nauseous enough to suffer from reverse peristalsis.

Elevators

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Across from the elevator on the ground floor is a board which provides information — both printed and via a television monitor.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I took the elevator to the fourth floor to access my room. I was surprised that the doors were a simple plain white, instead of adorned with more of the Tru by Hilton graphics which are prevalent everywhere else.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

These are the views of the inside of the elevator.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

When the doors to the elevator opened on the fourth floor, this wall greeted me — and there was no mistaking at which floor I had arrived.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Directions to the rooms were easy to read.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I walked down the hallway to access my room for the night.

The Room

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The window was equipped with a colorful translucent shade for privacy while simultaneously still allowing light to enter the room; while a white opaque blackout shade was behind it.

Due to the window shade which was partially closed, the room seemed rather dark — and not very large, either. It seemed narrower than a typical hotel room.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The beds were reasonably comfortable, as I did sleep well. I am still undecided about the color of the wall by the beds, as I was not all that fond of it — but it was not exactly the worst color I had ever seen, either. It did help to give the room a decent accent.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

No desk was available in the room — just two long narrow rough wooden counters which were basically useless.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I saw an area which looked like a place to put a chair and use the upper counter as a desk — with the assumption of the reason why a lamp was located on the counter in that corner of the room.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I found a chair between the bed and the window.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I moved the chair over to that area, which was not easy due to the narrow space between the bed and the wall at which the window is located; but it was too close to the climate control unit — and the counter was too high to use as a desk. The lower counter did not have enough space to open a laptop computer — let alone enough width to support a laptop computer.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I was not sure if this was a luggage rack of some sort — as straps were the only means of support — but when loaded, it significantly impedes air flow from the climate control unit.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The part of the room which best emulated a work area was when I moved the chair to the other end of the long upper counter — but there was barely room between the counter and the bed; and the upper counter was still too high. The reason for this dysfunctional design disaster is because guests are encouraged to work on desks located in the lobby area instead of their own rooms.

I prefer to work in the comfort of the room in which I am staying — perhaps after a shower but before going to sleep as an example. Why would I want to take the elevator down to the lobby in order to be able to work in a public area on my laptop computer?!?

I liked the USB ports which are embedded in the same face plate as the two electrical outlets. In fact, a few other electrical outlets in the room were also equipped with USB ports, which was quite thoughtful and useful. A telephone was located on the wall to the left of the face plate.

A nice feature which is typically found in higher-end hotel properties is an adjustable spotlight for each bed which was available above the nightstand between the beds…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…as well as at the far ends of the beds. I also liked the recessed spotlights in the soffit above the beds. Still, the room was rather dark overall at night because only one real lamp was in the room near the window.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Some of the collateral material for Tru by Hilton includes, from left to right: the identification circle for the flat-screen television; the plastic key to the room; and the Do Not Disturb sign. Interestingly, the room contained no pen or pad of paper, as you must request those items at the front desk, where a whole brick of pads and a plastic tub of pens are available — and yes, they are branded with the Tru by Hilton logo; so I do not understand why they are not placed in each room.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The “closet” was nothing more than an open area with a few hangers, an ironing board with an iron hanging on the wall; and a surface on which to place belongings. Underneath that surface was a miniature refrigerator, which was unexpected. The wall on the opposite side near the entrance to the room had an eclectic set of colorful wall hooks and a full-length mirror.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

If the “closet” does not have enough room for all of your belongings, a space underneath one of the beds is specifically designed to place a piece or two of luggage. I had mixed feelings about this: I do not like to place my belongings on the floor if I can help it. Then again, I cannot imagine this part of the floor becoming as dirty as other parts of the floor mainly because no one can walk on it — unless, of course, someone stores their shoes underneath it. This space may also be difficult to use for someone with back problems or other ambulatory issues.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I received a translucent plastic bag which contained two bottles of water and white cheddar cheese flavored chips, which was a nice touch. The upper counter — or shelf — actually served a purpose for me when I placed the bag on there for photographs.

The Bathroom

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The bathroom looks rather plain upon walking into it — but a long shelf is located underneath the mirror and is useful for placing toiletries on it. An electric hair dryer is stored in a bag hanging on a hook on the wall, ready for use by the guest.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Plenty of towels are located underneath the vanity of the sink — as well as paper cups and a plastic laundry bag.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Two packages of gentle cleansing makeup remover wipes — with vitamin E — were included in the bathroom leaning against the box of tissues.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

A nightlight which automatically illuminates is plugged into the wall next to the bag containing the hair dryer…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…and affixed to the mirror are labels which give instructions on what to do with used towels.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Three hooks are located on the wall behind the door of the bathroom — as opposed to the usual lone hook on the back of the door.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

A floor towel hangs on the handle of the shower door. The shower itself contains a bench on which to place items; but it is not wide enough on which to sit for an extended period of time. The shower head is like a miniature rain shower when the water is turned on. No bath tub exists in the bathroom.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

I like a good solid shower door, as it usually prevents water from spilling out onto the floor — but not in this bathroom, as the shower door would not properly close due to the poor fitting of the bottom of the glass door. Despite my best efforts, a puddle of water formed on the bathroom floor outside of the shower door anyway.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Two dispensers are located next to the sink, which contain body lotion and hand wash; and three dispensers are located in the shower area, which contain body wash, conditioner and shampoo. The products in the blue containers have a “confidence-boosting” scent called beach + sky blue water; while the products in the yellow containers have a “joy-inducing” scent called lemon + sugar. I was indifferent to the beach + sky blue water scent; but the smell of lemon + sugar was so sickeningly sweet that my teeth felt like they were rotting — and lemon is one of my favorite scents.

I also did not like how the product came out of the containers, as you have to squeeze both sides of the container itself for it to come out. Squeeze gently as instructed, and nothing happens; but too much came out when squeezing slightly less gently. Despite multiple attempts, I could not find a happy medium. The container is poorly designed overall.

I did not get the name brand of the products Not Soap, Radio — supposedly a form of practical joke and an example of surreal comedy which is actually not funny — and I found the statements printed on the labels of the containers to be both vapid and vacuous at best: “When life gives you one too many lemons and you’ve misplaced your happy place” and “Shampooing with sharks (for that competitive edge in work and/or play).”

Huh?!?

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Although not as egregious as the aforementioned public washroom, the design of the wallpaper next to the toilet is busy enough to fool you into thinking that you are hallucinating. Who needs drugs, anyway?!?

The wall is a waste of space, in my opinion.

Views

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The hotel property is conveniently located off of Interstate 40. I really did not mind this view, as I was quite glad that I checked into the hotel prior to “rush hour” so that I could look north and view the vehicles which struggled to head both eastbound and westbound in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Another view of the eastbound traffic on Interstate 40 is behind the white building. In the foreground was another part of the parking lot on the opposite side of the hotel property from the main entrance.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The view included a Days Inn, whose rooms apparently have external doors. It is located on the other side of Interstate 40.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

This view of a convenience store is not exactly the best view I have ever seen from a hotel room; but it is not the worst view either. I believe that the view from the room of this hotel property at which I stayed still is one of the contenders of worst view from a hotel room that I have ever seen.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Looking towards the west, I guess I know where people go if they do not like the breakfast which is included in the room rate of this hotel property. More on that later in this article.

Breakfast

When one of the members of the staff saw me photographing around the lobby area, she came over and started speaking to me in a gregarious manner while giving me an impromptu and informal tour…

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

…which included pressing a button to raise the aforementioned two grey screens that hid the breakfast area, so that I may take photographs. I thanked her profusely, as that was a nice voluntary gesture on her part. She was quite proud of the hotel property in which she worked.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Although I appreciated it, the breakfast area was not fully stocked at that time because I was taking photographs in the late afternoon — but I decided to take advantage of the opportunity anyway in case the breakfast area was crowded with guests the next morning.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Instead of individually packaged yogurt, guests could simply scoop their choice of as much Greek yogurt or vanilla Greek yogurt as they wanted; and then add their favorite toppings at the toppings bar, which consisted of a choice of purportedly 30 toppings. Five different kinds of dry cereal were available in clear canister dispensers.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Cold skim milk and two percent milk were also available. The clear canister dispensers contained shredded coconut, dried cranberries, Oreo cookie pieces, slivered almonds, and plain Cheerios.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Hot oatmeal and hot grits were available for breakfast; as well as hard boiled eggs and fresh oranges, bananas and apples. You can top these food items with any toppings you want as well.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Assorted bagels and doughnuts are available at a separate station. I did not particularly like how they were just hanging out there unprotected from any flies or other vermin which may possibly be in the area — as well as anyone coughing or sneezing within the vicinity of that station, despite the sneeze guard at the top. The doughnuts were okay at best; and being originally from New York, my opinion about the bagels is biased and skewed — so I perhaps will move on from there.

Guests had a choice of cold beverages at the main breakfast counter: orange juice, apple juice, grape raspberry water, and plain water.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

On the side of the bagel and doughnut station were assorted syrups, butter, cheese, honey, and whipped cream. In the center were sprinkles, cinnamon, powdered sugar and chia seeds. Toppings on the right included peanut butter, pepper jelly, bacon jam, and Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread. Behind the assorted warm bottled condiments were large toaster ovens through which you can toast your bagels — after you sliced them with the handy slicer, of course.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Guests are encouraged to take doughnuts for the road, as this is located not at the doughnut station; but rather at the far end of the counter for the breakfast area. Unlike the other doughnuts, these glazed doughnuts were protected by a plastic dome. Tongs and napkins were available to place the doughnuts into — what else — donut bags, which are on the left. I took two doughnuts for the road.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

Plenty of chairs and tables were available in the breakfast area near the windows.

Summary

“Guests either love this place or hate it” is what the female member of the staff of the hotel property said to me. I can understand why.

I would not go so far as to say that I hate the concept of Tru by Hilton; but I would not be disappointed if I never stayed at one again, as it has too many deficiencies for me to want to return.

Highlights of my stay were the friendly and helpful staff; the purified water machine for all the complimentary cold water you want during your stay; the reasonably comfortable bed in which I slept well; and the USB outlets in the room. I can potentially see the games and the charging stations for portable electronic devices being useful; but I did not use them. Access to Wi-Fi is complimentary for everyone — regardless of elite level status — and a printer is available for use in the lobby area which can be accessed wirelessly.

I did not care for no reasonable space on which to work in the smallish room; the dispensers for soap and other liquid amenities; the breakfast overall; the overuse of busy superfluous graphics; and the room rate itself along with the low earning of Hilton Honors points. In some ways, the lobby reminded me of a hostel in Europe. Tru by Hilton is definitely not at the top of the list of places in which a “road warrior” traveling on business would want to stay.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

The glass doors at the entrance were much easier to read from the inside of the lobby when the outside was dark; but this is an example of overthinking the concept, as I believe that whoever did design the overall brand of Tru by Hilton tried way too hard to be stylish and different — especially with goofy names such as The Hive, which seems like the concept has thankfully abandoned. They failed, in my opinion.

At first, I thought the concept was perfect for families on a budget — until I saw the size of the room, which would be a tight squeeze for a family of four people: doable; but certainly not comfortable.

The room rate was not the least expensive in that area of Oklahoma City, as I paid $112.61, which included the room rate of $99.00 plus $13.61 in taxes — and I thought that that was too expensive for what I received in return. At least one Hampton Inn hotel property offered less expensive room rates; and yet I found myself thinking that I would rather have stayed at a Hampton Inn than this Tru by Hilton — including regarding the offerings for breakfast.

Despite the expensive room rate, I stayed at this hotel property for two reasons: to try out the Tru by Hilton concept and write about it for this article; and to earn 1,000 bonus Hilton Honors points during this promotion which lasted for a limited time.

Speaking of earning Hilton Honors points, keep in mind that you will only earn five points per dollar spent at Tru by Hilton hotel properties — and the official reason why is in this article which I wrote back on Friday, May 5, 2017.

Although it is certainly not a terrible concept by any stretch of the imagination, the only time I could see myself actively seeking to stay at a Tru by Hilton hotel property in the foreseeable future is if it is the least expensive option by a significant amount of money when compared to other options within a certain radius.

The hotel property is located approximately six miles west of downtown Oklahoma City; and despite its name, it is located 4.6 miles north of Oklahoma City Airport.

Tru By Hilton Oklahoma City Airport
802 South Meridian Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73108
United States of America
1-405-609-3955
1-405-609-3966 Fax

All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

  1. Thanks you satisfied my curiosity, so I wont be spending any of the 330 nights I have planned at Hilton company this year.

  2. Looks fine to me. I can’t remember the last time I did work on a laptop at a desk – given the choice I’m sprawled out on a couch or in bed. And I don’t see the problem with putting luggage (that’s already been dragged across the ground and tossed about on planes) on the floor. Price isn’t bad, color scheme isn’t obnoxious, and there’s food. Not much else to ask for on a stay of a night or two.

  3. You nailed it: “tried way too hard to be stylish and different…They failed: All that “quirkyness” will be dated in the blink of an eye. And no desk??? Those ghastly yellow dispensers in the bathroom look like some kind of hazardous waste containers. At least there appears to be a little bit of counter space in the bathroom, and the little shelf in the shower is appropriate and welcome. I encountered three different hotels in Germany last summer with tiny showers and no place to put toiletries because they had decided to dictate my use of whatever mysterious goop-dispenser they placed in the shower. No thanks. I can’t wait for that fad to go away.

    Thanks for your detailed and very helpful review! I consider myself warned.

  4. Forgot to say, if you want an example of a cheap hotel done right – check out Motel One in Europe. Similar concept only MUCH more attractive and visually relaxing rather than frenetic, and designed for ADULTS, not fourth-graders.

  5. Wow – I would never have thought that there would be a hotel worse than an ALOFT – That was TRUly awful. Where is the desk? WTF is this? Dorm? Hostel?

    The only positive I could see from your pics was the sour creme doughnuts.

    Thanks for taking one for the team – I’m glad it was you staying there and not me, I might have chosen the Days Inn across the parking lot…

  6. Why all the complaining about the small size of the ledge, and no desk? That thingy you carry with you is called a LAPtop for a reason. But only FOUR hangers? That might be OK for one person, but what about two persons and a couple of older kids, staying for more than one night? One hanger per person, I guess.

    1. Well, The Masked Poster, the reason for me is because carrying a desktop computer wherever I travel just so that I may work on a desk would be rather inconvenient.

      As for the dearth of hangers — well…I agree; but I suppose that is what all of the wall hooks are for…

  7. I think I would prefer a Hampton Inn over this, if for no other reason than “normality” and a better breakfast. And, as a Diamond, I’d never pick this over something as simple as a Hilton Garden Inn (again, a better “normal” breakfast and maybe some other perks). Without a lower price point, I don’t see the point.

  8. First time staying at this hotel. Very disappointed. One chair so if you are eating in someone has to eat sitting on the bed. The rolling desk/table is too low for the one sitting on the bed. No comfortable way to work with a laptop. No coffee pot (so you have to get dressed to go downstairs for morning coffee) ,no microwave, no ice bucket (told to go get your own), no dressers to put your clothes so you are living out of your suitcase. Very small area to even hang your clothes but an iron so hope you have time to iron as you get out of suitcase. Even motel 6 has coffee pot and microwave. Should not even be related to Hilton. Very disappointed.

  9. You nailed it. Just stayed at the Tru by Hilton in Bowling Green, KY and had the exact same experience. Everything about my stay was just unnecessarily weird and/or complicated. One HUGE negative I experienced that the review kind of glossed was the lobby printer. I tried printing 5 copies of 1 one-page document. It took me over 30 minutes and maybe a dozen wasted pieces of paper. There is no way to open a document on a workstation next to the printer, or to plug in a USB drive to print from. The only way to print was by e-mailing an attachment to a server, which then e-mails a passcode back which then needs to be punched into the printer to release the job BUT nowhere in that process is an ability to select color/black and white, the number of copies, the orientation, zoom, etc. I had a simple PDF and it kept cropping it all sorts of weird ways, littering my inbox with passcodes. It was beyond frustrating.
    This is NOT a hotel for business travelers.

    1. I am just curious, AJ K.: although I have not tried to use the printer at the Tru by Hilton hotel property at which I stayed, could one of the options have been connecting to the printer via Wi-Fi network?

      I would think that technological option would fit right in with the style for which that hotel brand is going…

  10. I stayed at the Louisville Tru by Hilton and absolutely LOVED it. I will be a repeat guest when I am in the area.

  11. Wish I’d read your review before I booked a stay. A year later, and your points are still valid. The aggressive graphics and branding just make me tired, the soap/lotion/shampoo dispensers are hard to handle, and it’s noisy. I’m on the short side: the chair is too low to be useful at the “desk.” And if you have a king-bed, the only bed lighting option is the very bright can lights in the soffit above the bed and and hanging fixture—just one—to the side. They are either on or off. The breakfast is on a par with other free hotel breakfasts. Lots of add-ins, but I’m not picking a place just to sprinkle M&Ms in my yogurt.

    Plus side was the staff was friendly and accommodating. But I’ll head back to a Hampton Inn next time; it’s more relaxing and likely less expensive.

  12. I visited Tru by Hilton in Orangeburg, SC the last weekend in June 2019. The location opened in April 2019 and everything was still brand new (yes, even the smell). My accommodations were just fine; the beds were comfortable, room was well designed (plenty of outlets in good places for your mobile devices, laptops, etc.), 55″ TV was wall mounted, plenty of towels and the sheets and comforters were very soft. The facility was extremely family-friendly (it’s non-smoking, pool table, games, kids play area; however no pool at this location), the hot breakfast was good, the staff was professional, courteous, friendly and extremely helpful. While not the least expensive hotel in the immediate area, it certainly was not the most expensive either. I would visit this location, or other Tru by Hilton locations, again.

  13. we loved staying here! (we stayed at the one in Lubbock). Why all the complaining? Be thankful you have a job, have a nice place to lay your head and shower. BE THANKFUL!!!

  14. We just stayed at Tru in Fayetteville NC it is 7 months old.
    As Motel owners we were impressed as we had stayed at 2 Marriots on the way and been very unimpressed!
    I chose Tru because of its clean tiled floor and sleek lines. We gave up looking for our usual 5*
    as we had been so disappointed with cleanliness.
    At Tru at Fayetteville our King room was adequate for us for a single night with overnight bags.
    We had no problem with the shower door. Of course it was only 7 months old. There was no shower seat but a small triangle for resting your leg to shave ;)!
    I carry my own shampoo and conditioner in bar form but had no problem with the squeeze dispenser by the sink.
    Most impressed by the mirror and great lighting!!!! Something so often overlooked in very pricey hotels.
    Plenty of hooks for towels, robes, hanging toiletry bags too. Loved that.
    Entering our room I was impressed by the layout which was better than yours I note!
    Enough room to hang clothes for short stay and additional hooks.
    I liked that the small refrigerator was just tucked under the surface below hanging area.
    A great place to put a case. Wall hung ironing board and iron right there too.
    The bed was comfortable. Linens not so much, polyester 🙁 but clean, all white and with a platform bed too.
    Overhead soffit lighting was indeed great. We had another hanging light in the corner where I thought they may have planned to place a desk? However there was a desk and chair in the opposite corner by the tv. So I think some rethinking on the site may have occurred?
    Breakfast tried to include some local produce which was interesting.
    Scrambled eggs seemed powdered but edible as we were hungry.
    Husbands bagel was good he said. There was a microwave in the lobby, I assume for mother’s to use?
    The staff were well trained, outstanding in helpfulness.
    I would use Tru again for an overnight road trip if I checked the reviews first.
    With a Franchise you need to do that.
    Yes a little room for improvement maybe but excellent after our Marriot experiences!

  15. On target review; I really appreciate your site. I sought it out after wondering what other people thought of Tru. I’m a big fan of several Hampton-like brands, so that was my benchmark, and it fell short. I think price would be the only reason I’d pick it over similar properties in an area.

    Overall, strikes me as targeting Millenials who are intimidated by the formality of a Hampton Inn.

  16. Stayed at a Tru in Fayetteville NC with my wife and we loved it! If you’re looking to live and work in your room for days on end, which it appears the author of this article is looking to do, it may not be the place for you. But if you want a clean room, comfortable bed, nice clean bathroom with quality soap and shampoo, decent free breakfast at a reasonable price then you might want to check it out. Oh, one last thing, thank you Hilton for FINALLY being the first hotel to remove the disgusting carpet and couch out of your hotel rooms.

  17. Man what a stupid review.

    Old Kermudgen: this place is not like a norma hotel. It’s too bright and hip and has more than just a room.

    People under 40: this place is hip.

    I’ll be staying here every chance I get. I recently stayed at the Fayetteville, NC location and it rocked. Nice room, comfy bed, nice amenities and a great breakfast. Go stay at your old folks hotel. I’m choosing Tru!

    1. Dude: You’re still a dumb kid who has obviously never stayed in a fine hotel.

      Enjoy your shoe-box-sized formica room and the extra weed you can now afford by staying there.

  18. I appreciate the thorough review, which has allowed me to come to a different conclusion than the author and decide to try a stay at Tru for an upcoming trip. While the branding might be a bit much, some of the features are unique and positive trends I want to encourage. There is an overall effort to reduce waste, from the soap dispensers to the food court with its self-serve yogurt and milk. The water filter is an especially welcome feature for reducing waste and ensuring good tasting water (not all taps are tasty, as many travelers know). The addition of hard flooring in the rooms is welcome for both hygiene and allergy control. These are enough to get me to try it at least once.

  19. I appreciate the review. It is very helpful to know the place in advance.
    I am coming to Austin in Spring and I booked with Agoada.com which popped up while I search a place to stay.
    I made a mistake. I booked a guaranteed price no refund no cancellation. Just 10 to 15 minutes later I search for another one it popped again with 1/3 price. I sent an email to the customer service to guarantee the lowest price match. But they disapprove of it for the reason that the screenshots are not valid etc…
    So I learned from mistake; #1, I will not use AGODA.COM, #2, I will not book a hotel with no cancellation even it’s a lower price. #3, Call the hotel direct, I called the hotel afterward and the rate was much lower.

  20. I’m sure that this hotel was designed with a certain generation in mind, I’m just not sure which generation that would be. I can’t imagine that anyone who has to travel for business would find tru to be their hotel of choice. The first thing that came to mind when I entered my room was, wow, this place would work out well for someone who is accustom to living in a dorm. No closet, a rack with a few hangers and some hooks on the wall. The furniture is cheap (similar to the throw away furniture that’s bought in a box and assembled with an allen key) and poorly designed. While getting ready for work this morning I bumped my knee into the bed frame, which stuck way out and had rough and unfinished corners, and came away with a bloody knee. The shower didn’t have a shelf of any sort, but had a pretty fancy metal bar type foot rest for leg shaving, really, no shelf but a foot rest for shaving??? As a result, I had to put my shampoo and body wash on the floor. Which brings up my next point, thank God I had my own body wash and shampoo, since the hotel provided shampoo and soap dispensers were mounted on the wall in the shower at about eye level and had to be squeezed to dispense the contents, which was next to impossible to do. Not sure if they were designed that way to prevent people from dispensing too much, whatever the reason, bad design.

    The positive things about the tru is that I found it to be very clean and the staff was very friendly.

  21. We stayed at Tru in Wytheville, VA, 3 generations and we all loved it. The room was very clean and the beds were comfortable, which is most important to us in a hotel. I thought the shampoo smelled great; we didn’t have any trouble with the bottles. This hotel Breakfast is the first we actually got to use in all our years traveling. Everything was spread out nicely and wasn’t overcrowded like most places. We’ll definitely be staying there again. To each their own!:)

    1. To each their own indeed, Tiffany. I am glad you enjoyed your stay…

      …and I understand that since I stayed at that Tru by Hilton hotel property, some improvements have been implemented into the brand – so if I happen to be traveling and a stay at a Tru by Hilton happens to be cost effective and convenient, I may just give it another try…

  22. Thank you for a unbiased review of Tru brand.
    I am a Hilton Diamond and was curious about this brand and was/am considering it for an upcoming stay.
    Your article helps set realistic expectations for anyone wanting to try this brand.
    Like all other hotel brands, this one too seems to have its pros and cons but to me it seems like they balance each other out and this brand is a basic but decent and clean place to stay.

  23. I wish I had seen this article before we stayed at the Farmville tru by Hilton. The staff are truly trying to be amazing, no faults with them or the cleaning. This is during Virginia’s Phase 2 for the CoVid-19, so no pool (tiny), no breakfast (other motels were at least giving out prepackaged sticky buns, etc) and no coffee! There’s no coffee maker in the room so even my own travel supply was useless. They advertised coffee in the lobby between 6am-9am only, but nobody was around when I went down and I couldn’t find it. Thankfully there was a nearby Sheetz convenience which actually made to order was pretty good.

    Most of the activity areas in the lobby were closed off due to social distancing measures, which the motel followed very well with lots of messaging and hand sanitizer. But the pool table and outside seating area was taken over by two families for most of the night. We didn’t ask for a turn, but even if CoVid-19 restrictions were not in place you could see these areas would be easily crowded.

    The soap dispensers were too hard for my wife to squeeze, many of the hooks and hangers were too high for her to reach. The conditioner dispenser in the shower stall feel down when in squeezed it and if it were full might have bruise my big toe. The shower door had a gap of an inch and sprayed out soaking the tiny towel mat.

    The bed lights had been victimized by previous tenants wrestling them and were very loose. My wife’s side flickered but never would come on. The rest of the room lights were too bright at night. The bathroom mirror lights were nice, but I had to restraint myself from peeling the damn TRU stickers off the mirror.

    The bed was comfortable, the pillows were uncomfortably soft and an odd mix for a king bed- 1 regular/extra long over soft and 2 half pillows, the same worthless chiclet pillows used by most other motels.

    The a/c rattled but cooled the room efficiently. The room clock was off by 38 minutes.

    We did have a rolling table that slipped under the TV and the long half shelf. It was great to eat off of if you used the bed for seating.

    The TV was great, maybe 42″. Happily I was able to plug my Firestick in to watch our own shows. Lots of plugs including USB! Very good internet wi-fi, but the motel was not even 1/4 full.

    We appreciated the attempt at Scandinavian design (by way of Lowes hardware) and the bright colors. But the brand messaging was overdone. We didn’t find things like the ice buckets were at the ice maker or the neat filtered water dispenser until later. Too much had to be explored or read on the tv to figure out where things were. Nice try but not for us again.

    This is not a place for older couples, shorter people, arthritic hands, etc.

  24. The friendly staff you mentioned evidently does not work the evening shift at the NW Expressway TRU location in Oklahoma City. At 6 pm, there was but one employee to be seen, who was sitting in a corner of the lobby, knitting. When I approached the front desk, she just sat there in the corner and spoke to me as she was knitting. At first I thought she must be kidding me, as I had never seen a front desk employee at a good hotel do anything that passive and unengaged before. She only put down the knitting and walked over to the desk when I showed my irritation at her apathetic behavior. ( When I mentioned the inappropriateness of the continued knitting, she snipped, “It’s crochet!” )
    This is the strangest, rudest, least friendly behavior I’ve ever seen from a hospitality service employee. Indeed, she seemed to be going out of her way to be unfriendly, unhelpful, and condescending.
    And this happened in the first minute that I ever spent in a TRU. This chain is on shaky ground from the very start. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  25. Accessibility to fire doors & stairwells v other Hiltons?
    Not sure that you can assume that local fire codes suffice…

  26. I stayed at a Tru in Sebring Florida in April 2021. The experience was hard to describe, but it could be summed up with “Tru is a Motel 6 with bright colors and lots of zen, but not much else.” The one I stayed in had a great view of Lake Jackson, and a nice gym. It ended there. No breakfast was served (Covid) but you could get a bag with a hard boiled egg and a bagel. Yuck. The rooms were noisy and the a/c unit carried on like a boiler factory. Lighting is terrible, especially in the bathroom, and their soap, which comes from wall mounted squirt tubes, smelled like lemon fresh butt. The rooms were $130 a night plus taxes, totally overpriced for the value. Abysmal. Never again. I’d rather stay in a Motel 6, at least you get what you pay for there. They need to rename Tru to “False”.

  27. I stayed at Tru in Monroe, OH twice in July 2021 and both times I had to ask for a new room. The first time there were dirty towels on the bathroom floor, garbage in the garbage cans, dirty floors, and an unmade bed. The second time – dirty sheets and dirty floors. I am a Hilton Diamond member and this is hugely disappointing.

  28. Recently stayed at the Tru in Grove City Ohio, employees all seemed very nice. Nice areas inside to relax and breakfast was ok. Arrived on a Friday night after a long drive and was surprised we had 2 wash rags and towels. Figured room service would replace Saturday morning….Wrong, no room service on weekends. Front desk said come down and we’ll give you two more ( we were there for 6 nights how convenient ). Next problem was they were booked solid with girls softball teams for a big tournament. Girls being girls Tru ran out of clean towels. Then IFool Me Once was advised because of Covid no room service, throw your towels and trash bags outside your door……Suggestion for Tru buy more towels and replace those things you call pillows also advise your guests about the no room service policy. Guess I need to read reviews but with Hilton in the name no need, Right?

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